Prescribing Placebos Ethical or Unethical - Research Paper

Paper Type:  Research paper
Pages:  5
Wordcount:  1140 Words
Date:  2022-05-23

Introduction

The physiological role of medical practitioners in human healthcare is designated to ease patient's suffering and enhance lifespan extension or conservation. At some instances when patients suffering from some chronic or extensive injury posing life-threatening situations, the medics are entitled to evaluate the most appropriate therapy to maintain patients are comfortable. Prescribing placebos for medical therapy where irreversible situations are an extensive call for upholding ethical or unethical practices. Physicians are wholly entitled to enhance and solve patients' life on health issues. Hence, the practitioners' evaluations of the situation that legalize his decision in prescribing placebos under the doctor's oath of secrecy depict the authenticity of the practice. In cases when patients are aware or ignorant of their current ailment stage or medical implication gives the doctor the mandate to decide whether to deceiving or undeceiving prescribe placebos to relief their situations through hope (Fent, Rosemann, Fassler, Senn & Huber, 2011). This paper will discuss the ethical and unethical effects of prescribing placebos as a credibility of therapeutic process to reduce the stakeholder's ordeal in dealing with the advanced ailing process.

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Medics have the responsibility entrusted in them by the legal side of the practitioner's protection legislation globally and the social moral ethics that evoke mixed reactions owing to the legality, morality, and the authenticity some of the practice. The medic is responsible to ensure that patients with terminal illness or extremely painful situation in life where little or nothing can be done to reverse the situation it's their duty to uphold dignity and comfort. Administration of placebos as a treatment to give hope and comfort either deceitfully or with the patient's full knowledge on the conditions will make them feel at ease though there is no medical attachment to their comfort and the prescribed drugs. Whenever a patient suffers from an extensive injury that has obvious life-threatening consequences, physicians prescribe placebos as a better option to improve the patient's situation. Although, placebos lack any solid medical benefits in treating the ailment they are prescribed for (Fent, et al. 2011). The caution of prescribing placebos as the essential physiological process requires a positive understanding of the immediate concerns of the family and the patients in fighting the ailment seen.

Certain issues place the doctor at the liberty of deciding or engaging the concerned parties on the essence of prescribing placebos consciously or unconsciously (Kermen, Hickner, Brody & Hasham, 2010). For instance, in a case where a patient with terminal illness like cancer and is diagnosed late like in stage four the medic's evaluation of the situation in the expansiveness of the disease to treat the incidence with caution based on the logical concerns of the patient and the family At some times when the patient is very hopeful that he/she will fight the battle it's the doctor's role to at sometimes through the rights of the oath of secrecy and the ethical practices to give hope to the patient and prescribe placebos that will give hope to the patient and the family despite knowing the actual position. In another scenario, the doctor would apply extensive counsel to the patient and the concerned parties to make them aware of the position and prescribe placebos though they have no medical connection the patient is comfortable towards his demise

The ethical values that advocate or condemn administration of placebos to relieve patients suffering through speedy and painless death owing to terminal illness and or extensive irreversible battered child syndrome face a lot of criticism. Despite the goodwill of the ethical practice of physicians prescribing placebos, criticism of the palliative care role for medics administration of placebos refutes the authenticity of their judgment of the vulnerability of a battered patient or the lifespan expectancy. The credibility of the practitioner's prediction of the lifespan and the likelihood of patient succumbing to injuries or the extent of illness criticisms condemns them for baselessness making the practice of administering placebos with the knowledge they have no much value in curing the ailment (Fent, Rosemann, Fassler, Senn & Huber, 2011). For example, a patient with extensive injuries or later stages in terminal illnesses like cancer with the physiological prediction to only have a short lifespan to succumb to the injuries or illnesses. However, critics of the lifespan prediction and the administration of placebos to quicken his or her death fail to give the patient the chance that they would otherwise recover after extensive healthcare. At some instances, many critics of the authenticity of terminating a person's life before their 'right' time due to the sacredness and moral ethics of life preservation and the condemnation of unethicality of murder.

The circumstances where placebos are intentionally prescribed to unsuspecting patients as medication for curable diseases show the unethical conduct of the physician. Sometimes irresponsible practitioners prescribe placebos to ignorant patients as medical prescriptions evoke the legality of the practice. The physician needs to be cautious of the issues at hand to ensure the curative essence of their practice as well as protecting their professionalism from lawsuits. Therefore, when deciding on the administration of placebos it essential for the medic to evaluate the ethical and unethical reputation of his or her actions (Bishop, Aizlewood & Adams, 2014). In a practical example of the situation when a practitioner misdiagnosis the patient's illness and prescribes placebos deceitfully risk facing a legal challenge due to the unethicality of the practice.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the ethical and unethical norms of prescribing placebos physician look for non-life threatening medication for patients with a medical condition that is life-threatening and the life expectancy is abruptly shortened as a strategy of elevating their hope or comfort. The legal obligation of medical practitioners in fulfilling their duties and enhancing human dignity by easing extensive suffering through the deceitful or hypocritical prescription of placebos is credible whether done with patient's consent or not. The extensive social crucifying of medical prescription of placebos places the medics at the tie of ensuring that whatever they are within legality and professionalism when helping patients with terminal illness to ease their situation or give them hope and will to fight the disease.

References

Bishop, F. L., Aizlewood, L., & Adams, A. M. (2014). When and Why Placebo-Prescribing Is Acceptable and Unacceptable: A Focus Group Study of Patients' Views. Plos ONE, 9(7), 1-9. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0101822

Foddy, B. (2009). A Duty to Deceive: Placebos in Clinical Practice. American Journal Of Bioethics, 9(12), 4-12. doi:10.1080/15265160903318350

Fent, R., Rosemann, T., Fassler, M., Senn, O., & Huber, C. A. (2011). The use of pure and impure placebo interventions in primary care - a qualitative approach. BMC Family Practice, 12(1), 11-17. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-11-11

Kermen, R., Hickner, J., Brody, H., & Hasham, I. (2010). Family physicians believe the placebo effect is therapeutic but often use real drugs as placebos. Family medicine, 42(9), 636.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/12/the-placebo-debate-is-it-unethical-to-prescribe-them-to-patients/250161/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2013/03/22/is-it-ethical-for-doctors-to-prescribe-placebo/#29d2fa5429c6

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Prescribing Placebos Ethical or Unethical - Research Paper. (2022, May 23). Retrieved from https://proessays.net/essays/prescribing-placebos-ethical-or-unethical-research-paper

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